mahAbhAratam

tasya khila bhAho

harivamsham
harivamsha parva

ch 8

manvanta gaNana calculation of Time

---0Oo--janamejaya uvAca: janamejaya asked:

manvantarasya sa~NkhyAnaM yugAnAM cha mahAmate | brahmaNo.ahnaH pramANaM cha vaktum arhasi me dvija || 1-8-1 "Oh, high-minded brAhmaNa, vaishampAyana, it will be apt of you to speak about the computation of manvantara-s, kAla paricChedana, division of time, measure of brahma's single day etc...
vaishampAyana uvAca: vaishampAyana said:

aho-rAtraM bhajet sUryo mAnavaM laukikaM param | tAmupAdAya gaNanAM shR^iNu sa~NkhyAm arin-dama|| 1-8-2

The Sun has devised day and night for the convenient computation of time for the smooth conduct of human affairs in this world and the other, basing on which the division of time is devised... that you listen first... devAdInAm - aho rAtrANi; bhajet - pR^ithak kuryAt; vibhajate iti pAThe sUrya iti sheSaH; day and night are the basic factors to calculate time. And sun is credited to have devised day and night, if the text is read as vibhajate. nimeSaiH pa~ncha-dashabhiH kASTha triMshat tu tAH kalAH | triMshat kalo muhUrtaH tu triMshatA taiH manISiNaH || 1-8-3 Fifteen nimeSA-s are one kASTha; thirty kASThA-s are one kala; thirty kAlA-s are one muhUrta; thirty muhUrtA-s are one day and night for humans... aho rAtram iti prAhuH chandra sUrya cgatiM nR^ipa | visheSeNa tu sarveSu aho-rAtre cha nityashaH || 1-8-4 Day and night are the occurrences, they say, owing to the circumambulation of sun and moon around Mt. Meru, centric to earth, whereat one sets down while the other rises up... thus the day and night regularly occur everywhere on earth surrounding Mt. Meru - meroH parIto bhU pradesheSu... aho-rAtrAH pa~ncha-dasha paxa iti abhi-shabditaH | dvau paxau tu smR^ito mAso mAsau dvau R^ituH uchyate || 1-8-5 Fifteen such days and nights become a fortnight... two fortnights form a month, and two months a R^itu... abdaM dvau ayanam uktaM cha ayanaM tu R^itubhiH tribhiH | dakshiNaM cha uttaraM chaiva sa~NkhyA tatva-vishAradaiH || 1-8-6 And the year is composed of two ayana-s, namely two solstices, one southern and the other northern... where one ayana is composed of three R^itu-s, three Indian seasons... mAnena anena yaH mAsaH paxa dvaya samanvitaH | pitR^INAM tat aho-rAtram iti kAlavido viduH || 1-8-7 If a month composed of two fortnights is achieved thus, that month is said to be one day and one night for manes, pitR^i devatA-s, so say experts in time calculations...

kR^ISNa-pakshaH tu ahaH teSAM shukla-paxaH tu sharvarI | kR^iSNa-pakshaM tu ahaH shrAddhaM pitR^INAM vartate nR^ipa || 1-8- 8 Black-fortnight is day and white-fortnight is night for those manes... thus, if shraddha, yearly obsequial rites to manes, is to be performed, they are performed during black-fortnight, say days heading towards amAvAsya, no-moon-day, because it is the day time of manes, pitR^i devatA-s.. The manes residing in chandra loka cannot see the sun in white-fortnight because then the moon subdues the sun. In blackfortnight the moon and sun will be facing each other. Hence manes can see sun in that period. Hence white fortnight is said to be the night of manes and black one as their day. As such offering shraddha etc to manes is prescribed towards, or on amavAsya, nomoon-days. - Gita Press. mAnuSeNa tu mAnena yo vai saMvatsaraH smR^itaH | devAnAM tat aho-rAtraM divA chaiva uttarAyaNam | daxiNAyanaM smR^itA rAtriH prAj~naiH sarvArthakovidaiH || 1-8-9 That which is called one year according to human calculations, it one day and one night for devatA-s... in that, day-time is uttara-ayanam, northern solstice and night-timedakSiNa-ayanam, southern solstice... so say experts... While Sun transits from makara-saMkraAnti to mithuna-saMkrAnti, transit from Capricorn to Gemini, the rays of his chariot, as well as the rays of latitudes, akSAMsa-s, will be drawn everyday towards North Pole. ravi ratha akSa rashmyayoH dhruveNa AkarSaNe anudinam kriyamaANe uttara abhimukhaH sUryo, meru mUrthasthAnAm devatAnAm dR^ishyo iti bhavati... Thus the Sun transiting towards north will be seeing the devatA-s situated on Mt. Meru everyday. Therefore, northern solstice will become the day of devatA-s. The reverse is the situation when southern solstice begins, i.e., when Sun transits from karka rAshi, Cancer, to dhanurrAshi, Sagittarius, where the pull of his rays towards North Pole lessens everyday in phased manner, whereby the Sun cannot see devatA-s, slowly. Hence dakSiNa ayana, southern solstice, is becoming night for devatA-s. - Gita Press. divyam abdaM shata-guNam aho-rAtraM manoH smR^itam | aho-rAtraM dasha-guNaM mAnavaH paxa uchyate || 1-8- 10 Ten such years of devatA-s will become one day and night of each manu, say one day of manu, and ten such manu-days will become a manu-fortnight... The period of fortnight of manu-s is reduced to ten-day fortnight, unlike the fifteen-day fortnight of humans.

H. H. Wilson raises a point in the footnotes on page 21, Vishnu Purana: The French translation has, "dix annees des dieux font un jour de Menu; dix jours des dieux font un pakcha de Menu," &c. The error lies in the expression "jours des dieux," and is evidently a mere inadvertence; for if ten years make a day, ten days can scarcely make a fortnight. paksho dasha guNo mAso mAsaiH dvAdashabhir guNaiH | R^ituH manUnAM saMproktaH prAj~naiH tatva-artha-darshibhiH | R^itu trayeNa tu ayanaM tat dvayena eva vatsaraH || 1-8- 11 And ten such manu-fortnights will become one manu-month... and twelve such months are one season, manu-R^itu... thus three seasons, i.e., manu-R^itu-s, will become one manu-ayanam, and two manu-ayanam-s are one manu-year... so say the wise... chatvAra eva sahasrANi varSANAM tu kR^itaM yugam | tAvat shatI bhavet sandhyA sandhya-aMshaH cha tathA nR^ipa|| 1-8- 12 Four thousand years of devatA-s will become one satya-yuga, also called as kR^ita yuga, and oh, king, in each yuga there will be an opening period called sandhya - yuga sandhya; and a closing-period called, sandhya-aMsha... in the four thousand year period of this sAtya / kR^ita yuga, the initial period, or sandhya is four hundred years... and the end part or sandhaya-aMsha is also a period of four hundred years... trINi varSa sahasrANi tretA syAt parimANataH | tasyAH ca tri-shatI sandhyA sandhya-aMshaH ca tathA vidhaH || 1-8-13 Next, treta-yuga is of three thousand year duration, and the opening period of that era, say sandhya is of three hundred years, where the closing period, say sandhya-amsha, is also of the same duration, i.e., three hundred years... tathA varSa sahasre dve dvAparaM parikIrtitam | tasyApi dvi shatI sandhyA sandhyAMshaH ca tathAvidhaH || 1-8- 14 Next is dwApara yuga... its duration is two thousand years, and each of its opening and closing periods are of two hundred year duration... kali varSa sahasraM ca saMkhyAtaH atra manISibhiH | tasyApi shatikA sandhyA sandhyAMshaH caiva tadvidhaH || 1-8- 15

And the wise men said that kali-yuga has a thousand year duration and each of its opening and closing periods have a hundred year duration... sandhya, sandhyAMsha sankhya: total of intervening periods: 2, 000, two thousand years in total. In satya = 800; treta= 600; dwApara= 400; kali= 200 years. yuga-sankhya: total yuga-s are: 10, 000: satya= 4000; treta= 3000; dwApara= 2000; kali= 1000 years. These plus intervening periods will be 12, 000 years - true to the definition of that word yuga - dvAdasha sahasrii varSANi yugam iti ucyate - later called as catur yuga, because the word yuga is commonly applied to its inner periods - kali yuga, dvApara yuga etc. eSA dvAdasha sAhasrI yuga yuga-sa~NkhyA prakIrtitA | divyena anena mAnena yuga yugasa~NkhyAM nibodha me || 1-8-16 This is how the count of 12, 000 years will come to a yuga, say catur-yuga period, taking the count of 12, 000 divine years of devatA-s... kR^itaM tretA dvAparaM cha kaliH chaiva chaturyugI | yugaM tat eka saptatyA gaNitaM nR^ipasattama || 1-8- 17 manvantaram iti proktaM sa~NkhyAn arthavishAradaiH | ayanaM chApi tat proktaM dve ayane daxiNa uttare || 1-8- 18 And if almost 71, 000 of these four catur-yuga-s, namely kR^ita, treta, dvApara, and kali are completed, then it becomes a manvantaram, time cycle of one manu... there will be southern or northern transits, ayana-s, even to each of the manu-s... tat yugam eka saptatyA gaNitam kiMcit adhikam ca manvantaram prokatam; ayanam - etAvatA kAlasya ante manoH brahma lokam prati gamanenAdarshanam bhavati iti tadeva ayanam iti ucyate. Even manu-s have to go to brahma's abode to merge into brahma after sojourning in heavens. manuH pralIyate yatra samApte cha ayane prabhoH | tataH aparo manuH kAlam etAvantaM bhavati uta || 1-8-19 Each manu merges into brahma after completion of northern transit, while another manu will be reigning the world for this much of time... Each manu goes to heaven via dhumAdi mArga - southern path, stays there till the meter of merit is running, then before falling down from there, he ascends the northern path, goes to brahma's abode to merge in brahma, where this brahma is kAraNa brahma, i.e., nArAyaNa, not four-faced brahma.

sam-atIteSu rAjendra proktaH saMvatsaraH sa vai | tadeva ca AyutaM proktaM muninA tattvadarshinA || 1-8-20 And oh, king, when ten-thousand [eighty] time-cycles of manu-s are bygone, it is called one year of brahma... so say the wise... Footnote on p. 21, Vishnu Purana: ....a Manwantara, is equal to seventy-one times the number of years contained in the four Yugas, with some additional years: this is the duration of the Manu, the (attendant) divinities, and the rest, which is equal to 852.000 divine years, or to 306.720.000 years of mortals, independent of the additional period 6. Fourteen times this period constitutes a Brahma day, that is, a day of Brahma; the term (Brahma) being the derivative form. At the end of this day a dissolution of the universe occurs, when all the three worlds, earth, and the regions of space, are consumed with fire. brahmaNaH tat ahaH proktaM kalpaH ca iti sa kathyate | sahasra yuga paryantA yA nishA procyate budhaiH || 1-8-21 nimajjati apsu yatra urvI sa-shaila-vana-kAnanA | tasmin yuga sahasre tu pUrNe bharatasattama || 1-8- 22 brAhme divasa paryante kalpo niHsheSa ucyate | Oh, best king of bharata-s, what is said as brahma's day, is also known s a kalpa... and what is said by wise as catur-yugarAtri, thousand-era night of brahma, in that night the earth together with its mountains and forests will be submerged in waters... and on completion of yuga-sahasre = catur-yuga-sahasre; thousand catur-yuga-s, thousand four-eras, then the day of brahma commences, and the period till its completion is reckoned as a kalpa... All puraNa-s have to state these accounts as a respect offered to Time Principle, but no two purANA-s agree on these accounts. However, our predecessors have tried to decipher something out of these accounts. One such effort is that of H. H. Wilson in Vishnu Purana. In the footnote on page 21 of his translation there is a lengthy account of this, which can be seen in Sacred-texts.com site in its 37th chapter. This is to avoid dwelling much here on stanzas of similar nature, and for ready reference of readers. yugAni saptatiH tAni sa agrANi kathitAni te || 1-8-23 kR^ita tretA nibaddhAni manoH antaram ucyate | catur-dasha ete manavaH kIrtitAH kIrtivardhanAH || 1-8-24 Thus I have subtly said about seventy-one year cycle consisting of kR^ita, treta etc eras, which is called a manvantaram, manu-time-cycle, thus informed you about fourteen such time cycles, hearing which one's own renown enriches...

vedeSu sa purANeSu sarveSu prabhaviSNavaH | prajAnAM patayo rAjan dhanyam eSAM prakIrtanam || 1-8-25 These accounts of Time, which influences everything, will come in all purANA-s, veda-s and all other texts, because recounting these accounts of prajApati-s will render good to everyone... manvantareSu saMhArAH saMhAra anteSu saMbhavAH | na shakyam antaraM teSAM vaktuM varSa shataiH api || 1-8-26 And even if I were to talk for hundreds of years I can never complete the details of dissolutions and evolutions of each manu in manvantara, because an evolution ensues every dissolution, and a dissolution ensues every evolution... this much will suffice for our purpose... visargasya prajAnAM vai saMhArasya ca bhArata | manvantareSu saMhArAH shrUyante bharatarSabha || 1-8-27 But, oh, king of bharata-s, we are told that there is a continuum of dissolution of beings followed by every evolution, during each manvantra... sa sheSAH tatra tiSThanti devAH sapta rSibhiH saha | tapasA brahmacaryeNa shrutena ca samAhitAH || 1-8-28 But one thing, there will be a surviving remnant of these dissolutions, say some orders of sages and devatA-s as sthUla bhUtAni, as gross elements, who with their ascesis, strength of character, and gnosis through scriptures play a waiting game, so to say... pUrNe yuga sahasre tu kalpo niHsheSa ucyate | tatra sarvANi bhUtAni dagdhAni Aditya tejasA || 1-8-29 When the four-yuga cycle is completed, the period of kalpa is deemed to have completed... then all beings will be burnt down by the radiation emitted from twelve-AdityA-s... dvAdasha Aditya-s - twelve Aditya-s are originally not twelve suns, nor the twelve names of sun, where viSNu is also one among them. They are earliest self-luminous vedic entities emerged from hiraNyagarbha, which itself is a compact mass of dakSa and aditi. While these twelve Aditya-s sprang up to firmament, one more like them has emerged in Initial-Bang theory, but came out as a dead mass - mR^ita+aNDa, who later came to be known as mArtANDa.

brahmANam agrataH kR^itvA saha Aditya gaNaiH vibhum | yogaM yogIshvaraM devam ajaM kSetraj~nam acyutam | pravishanti sura shreSThaM hariM nArAyaNaM prabhum || 1-8-30 On the completion of this period of kalpa, this order of twelve Aditya-s along with creator-brahma will merge in nArAyaNa, who is lord, supreme in yoga, yoga itself, gnosis itself, perishless, loftiest god, and Almighty hari... AdityA api dagdha indhana anala vat sva AtmAnam upasaMhR^itya. brahmaNa saha, viSNum pravishanti - on becoming like embers the Aditya-s too will merge into nArAyana along with brahma at the end of kalpa... yaH sraSTA sarva-bhUtAnAM kalpAnteSu punaH punaH | avyaktaH shAshvato devaH tasya sarvam idaM jagat || 1-8-31 Thus, the whole universe is in him and with him, who is unmanliness and everlasting, and who cyclically and periodically architects the universe... tatra saMvartate rAtriH sakala-eka-arNave tadA | nArAyaNaH udare nidrAM brAhmyaM varSa-sahasrakam || 1-8-32 When whole universe is under the single sheet of waters - eka arNavam - then nArAyaNa will be in yogic slumber in the bosom of that water till the completion of thousand year night-time, rather sleep-time, of brahma is completed... tAvantam iti kAlasya rAtriH iti abhishabditA | nidrA yogam anuprApto yasyAM shete pitAmahaH || 1-8-33 That much is said to be the night-time of brahma, during which brahma retires from creation, and spends time in yogic repose in nArAyana... This period of thousand year night-time of brahma is also known as nishi of nArAyaNa, where nishi is not exactly a night, but some stopgap period of activity. Same measure of time is the day, say activity time, of nArAyaNa. sA ca rAtriH apakrAntA sahasra-yuga-paryayA | tadA prabuddho bhagavAn brahmA lokapitAmahaH || 1-8-34 punaH sisR^ikSayA yuktaH sargAya vidadhe manaH | sa eva smR^itiH purANe iyaM tad vR^ittaM tat viceSTitam || 1-8-35 deva sthAnAni tAni eva kevalaM ca viparyayaH |

tato dagdhAni bhUtAni sarvANi Aditya rashmibhiH || 1-8-36 deva rSi yakSa gandharvAH pishAca uraga rAkSasAH | jAyante ca punaH tAta yuge bharatasattama || 1-8-37 When that four-era night of brahma has elapsed then that grandsire starts his day again with a mind to create anew and commences to create afresh... then, starting with abodes of ethereal gods - which gods are existent yet non-existent darshanAnAm adarshanaiH; saha viparyayo... maNi pravAla dhArA mAtram - like the thread existing, yet non-existing in a given string of beads... together with those beings that are burnt by the radiation of AdityA-s; as well as the hosts of gods, sages, yakSas, gandharvA-s, pishAcA-s, reptiles, and rAkSasA-s... all are given a renascence commensurable with that of previous kalpa... yathartAvR^itu li~NgAni nAnA rUpANi paryaye | dR^ishyante tAni tAni eva tathA brAhmISu rAtriSu || 1-8-38 As to how coldness, or hotness, manifest with the manifestation of cold season, or hot season, so the manifestation of beings takes place when the night of brahma lapses into day... niSkramitvA prajA-kAraH prajApatiH asaMshayam | ye ca vai mAnavA devAH sarve caiva maharSayaH || 1-8-39 te sa~NgatAH shuddhasa~NgAH shashvat dharma visargataH | na bhavanti punaH tAta yuge bharatasattama || 1-8-40 The Makers of People - prajA-kAra-s, prajApati-s - will emerge out of nArAyaNa, and start improvising beings... and some humans, gods and sages who lived in last kalpa with a detachment to wildly affairs leaving off the penchant for their bodily pleasures, they do not recur in the ensuing kalpa... It may be noted that prajApati-s will emerge out the concept called nArAyaNa on par with creator-brahma. So, they too are responsible for creation, say biogenetic creation. tat sarvaM krama yogena kAla saMkhyA vibhAgavit | sahasra yuga saMkhyAnaM kR^itvA divasam IshvaraH || 1-8-41 rAtriM yuga sahasra antAM kR^itvA cha bhagavAn vibhuH | saMharati atha bhUtAni sR^ijate ca punaH punaH || 1-8-42

Thus, he who knows the division of time, that Almighty nArAyaNa has devised the sequential thousand-era day and thousand-four-era night; sahasra-yuga-dina, sahasra-catur-yuga-rAtri, because such an expertness is intrinsic in such nArAyaNa, thus he goes on making evolutions and dissolutions of beings perpetually... vyakta-avyakto mahAdevo hariH nArAyaNaH prabhuH | tasya te kIrtayiSyAmi manoH vaivasvatasya ha || 1-8-43 visargaM bharatashreSTha sAMpratasya mahAdyute| vR^iSNi-vaMsha-prasa~Ngena kathyamAnaM purAtanam || 1-8-44 yatra utpanno mahAtmA sa hariH vR^iSNi-kule prabhuH | sarva asura ni-nAshAya sarva-loka-hitAya ca || 1-8-45 Thus that great lord hari-nArAyaNa is manifest everywhere, because he himself is manifest, yet unmanifest - vyaktaavyakta; sthUla-sUkSma-rUpa... Because you asked me about vR^iSNi dynasty I had to dwell this much on nArAyaNa, because he is the fount of both vR^iSNi dynasty and vaivasvata manu, whose manvantaram is running now... Again, it is because nArAyaNa wonts to take incarnations for the elimination of rAkSasA-s, for establishing complete welfare of the world, he emerged in this vR^iSNidynasty, of which I am about to tell... ---oOo--iti shrImahAbhArate khilabhAge harivaMshe harivaMshaparvaNi manvantara-gaNanAyAM aSTamo.dhyAyaH || 8 Thus, this is the eight chapter of first canto called harivamsha-parva, in harivamsha-purANa, the sequel of mahAbhArata, narrating the calculation of eras, time cycles. ---oOo--Endnote From the footnote on page 21 - 37th chapter of Vishnu Purana - H. H. Wilson's translation; the year of the seven Rishis, 3030 mortal years, and the year of Dhruva, 9090 such years, in the Linga P. In all essential points the computations accord, and the scheme, extravagant as it may appear, seems to admit of easy explanation.We have, in the first

place, a computation of the years of the gods in the four ages, or, Krita Yuga Sandhy Sandhynsa Yuga Sandhy Sandhynsa Yuga Sandhy Sandhynsa Yuga Sandhya Sandhynsa 4000 400 400 4800 Tret 3000 300 300 3600 Dwpara 2000 200 200 2400 Kali 1000 100 100 1200 12000. If these divine years are converted into years of mortals, by multiplying them by 360, a year of men being a day of the gods, we obtain the years of which the Yugas of mortals are respectively said to consist: 4800 x 360 3600 x 360 2400 x 360 1200 x 360 = 1.728.000 = 1.296.000 = 864.000 = 432.000 4.320.000 a Mahyuga.

So that these periods resolve themselves into very simple elements: the notion of four ages in a deteriorating series expressed

by descending arithmetical progression, as 4, 3, 2, 5; the conversion of units into thousands; and the mythological fiction, that these were divine years, each composed of 360 years of men. It does not seem necessary to refer the invention to any astronomical computations, or to any attempt to represent actual chronology. none of them state of what the surplus or addition consists; but it is, in fact, the number of years required to reconcile two computations of the Kalpa. The most simple, and probably the original calculation of a Kalpa, is its being 1000 great ages, or ages of the gods: ### Bhavishya P. Then 4.320.000 years, or a divine age, x 1000 = 4320.000.000 years, or a day or night of Brahm,. But a day of Brahm is also seventy-one times a great age multiplied by fourteen: 4.320.000 x 71 x 14= 4.294.080.000, or less than the preceding by 25.920.000; and it is to make up for this deficiency that a certain number of years must be added to the computation by Manwantaras. According to the Srya Siddhnta, as cited by Mr. Davis (A. R. 2. 231), this addition consists of a Sandhi to each Manwantara, equal to the Satya age, or 5.728.000 years; and one similar Sandhi at the commencement of the Kalpa: thus p. 25 4.320.000 x 71 = 306.720.000 + 1.728.000 = 308.448.000 x 14 = 4318.272.000 + 1.728.000 = 4320.000.000. The Pauranics, however, omit the Sandhi of the Kalpa, and add the whole compensation to the Manwantaras. The amount of this in whole numbers is 1.851.428 in each Manwantara, or 4.320.000 x 71= 306.720.000 + 1.851.428 = 308.571.428 x 14 = 4319.999.992; leaving a very small inferiority to the result of the calculation of a Kalpa by a thousand great ages. To prov meshas, and 1/7th; if of mortals, 1.851.428 years, 6 months, 24 days, 12 Nris, 12 Kals, 25 Kshtshas, and 10 Nimeshas. It will be observed, that in the Kalpa we have the regular descending series 4, 3, 2, with cyphers multiplied ad libitum. In theory th ven of several, but they are evidently sectarial embellishments. The only Kalpas usually specified are those which follow in the text: the one which was the last, or the Pdma, and the present p. 26 or Vrha. The first is also commonly called the Brhma; but the Bhgavata distinguishes the Brhma, considering it to be the first of Brahm's life, whilst the Pdma was the last of the first Parrddha. The terms Man, or great Kalpa, applied to the Padma, is attached to it only in a general sense; or, according to the commentator, because it comprises, as a minor Kalpa, that in which Brahm was born from a lotus. Properly, a great Kalpa is not a day, but a life of Brahm; as in the Brahma Vaivartta: 'Chronologers compute a Kalpa by the life of Brahm. Minor Kalpas, as Samvartta an e sufficient to no H V q translation. It is the calculation of the Mnava time, or time of a Menu.

10 10 10 12 6

divine years Mnava days Mnava fortn. Mnava months Mnava seasons

= a day and night of a Menu. = his fortnight. = his month. = his season. = his year.

Accordingly the commentator says 72000 divine years make up his year. This is according to Vishnu Purana. Here it is eka saptatyA, seventy-one divine years. --o)0(o--